Cultivation of Inonotus hispidus on Jujube Wood Waste: Effects on Fruiting Body Biological Characteristics, Nutrients, Active Constituents and Metabolic Profiles

<i>Inonotus hispidus</i> is an important medicinal and edible fungus within the "Sanghuang" category, featuring a broad host range and rapid fruiting body growth. However, its wild resources are currently threatened by overharvesting. Simultaneously, large-scale jujube (<i>Ziziphus jujuba</i>) cultivation generates substantial pruning waste, often burned. This study explored the feasibility of using jujube wood as a cultivation substrate for <i>I. hispidus</i>. Three <i>I. hispidus</i> strains, Z1, Z2, and ZL, were cultivated on substrates with varying proportions of jujube wood replacing cottonseed hulls. The biological efficiency, nutritional components, active compounds, and free amino acid profiles of the resulting fruiting bodies were analyzed. Non-targeted metabolomics was used to investigate global metabolic changes. Results indicated that all strains successfully colonized the jujube-based substrates and produced fruiting bodies. Strain ZL exhibited the highest biological efficiency and the shortest growth period on the 48% jujube wood substrate, while others showed significantly increased triterpenoids and flavonoids content. Metabolomic analysis revealed substrate-dependent and strain-specific alterations in metabolic pathways, particularly in amino acid biosynthesis, the TCA cycle, and secondary metabolism. This study confirms jujube wood as a viable alternative substrate for the edible (ZL) and medicinal (Z1, Z2) cultivation of <i>I. hispidus</i>, providing a sustainable production method while establishing a valuable utilization pathway for jujube wood waste.